The Shade of the Kaldorei
by joylif
Summary: Life in Darnassus is as it should be. Two young night elves, Thylfrae Shadowstalker, an aspiring Sentinel Huntress, and Eaenna Stillwater, a struggling mage, live ordinary night elf lives. And yet, what they don't know is that something is lurking in the shadows...
1. Chapter One

**Chapter One**

"Do you see any Silverleaf growing anywhere?"

"How am I supposed to know what Silverleaf looks like?" asked Thylfrae, throwing an exasperated look in Eaenna's direction.

"It's a small, silver coloured leaf. You usually get it near trees," responded Eaenna. "Ah, found it."

She reached down to the tiny plant, taking the bright leaves in her fingers. Snipping off the stem, she carefully placed the flower into her basket.

"Why do you even need this plant, again?" inquired Thylfrae, once more, stretching her back as she watched Eaenna. They had been walking for hours now.

"It'll look nice in the living room, don't you think?" she responded, presenting Thylfrae with the basket.

"What was wrong with the Earthroot that I picked out for you last week?"

"Oh, um," suddenly Eaenna looked away. "It, um, died."

Before Thylfrae could question any further, however, Eaenna continued on with her list.

"Silverleaf, done. We just need some Mageroyal, then we'll be finished."

"Thank Elune," murmured Thylfrae.

"What was that?" Eaenna asked, already walking away.

"Nothing," said Thylfrae, hiding a smile.

Eaenna led them to a small clearing. The dark, green trees suddenly faded to bright oranges and yellows. It was strange how every part of the forest looked so different. As Eaenna busied herself with a small, purple-coloured plant, Thylfrae felt herself watching the edge of the clearing. She could have sworn she saw a shadow there only a few seconds ago.

"Eaenna, maybe we should get back to the path," whispered Thylfrae, grasping her bow from behind her head.

"Relax, Thylfrae. We're far from Gnarlpine Hold."

"It's not gnarlpines I'm worried about."

"Stay there, I'm almost done," Eaenna responded.

"Eaenna, I really don't think-"

Suddenly, from the edge of the clearing, a group of duskstalkers sprang towards them, claws and fangs bared.

"Shit," mumbled Thylfrae, already readying an arrow into the bow's shaft. She hit one in the eye and another in the leg, before turning towards Eaenna. She had her arms raised, blue sparks flying from her fingers. Her face had a look of panic.

Thylfrae ran towards her, shooting another arrow into a duskstalker's mouth.

"What are duskstalkers doing here?" Thylfrae muttered questioningly to herself.

"I can't fight them," cried Eaenna, her voice now shaking. Her face was already dripping with sweat.

"Come on," said Thylfrae, grabbing Eaenna by the arm. "We need to go. Now."

Eaenna stumbled before she fully anticipated what was being asked of her. The tug on her arm cut her off from her hesitation and she followed after Thylfrae, abandoning all hope of succeeding in her magic.

Northbound they headed, past Lake Al'Ameth, in hope of outrunning the approaching duskstalkers. Two of the felines pursued them from behind, another - smaller yet faster than the others - raced ahead, closing in on them from the side.

They raced, hope and determination coursing through Thylfrae's veins, fear and panic in Eaenna's. As the small town of Dolanaar came into sight, Thylfrae braced herself and turned to face the wild beasts. As one pounced towards her, she released her grip on Eaenna, let out a cry and shot an arrow at it's stomach. Dismissing a rain of blood falling down on her face, she released another arrow, and another, and another, until there was all but one duskstalker left. It was the small one that had diverged from the others earlier.

"Eaenna," panted Thylfrae, lowering her bow, coming to a stop. "You've got this."

"No, I haven't, Thyl-"

"You have," cut off Thylfrae.

Eaenna stood still and raised her hands again. The duskstalker glared at her, teeth bared as if in a smirk. She tried to focus. A bright blue spark burst from her fingers, making her jump. The feline was closing in on her, growling. Snarling. Challenging her to fight it.

She attempted once more to perform a spell. The yellow eyes of the advancing predator caused chills to run through her body, disrupting her thinking thoughts and causing her spell to once again fail. An arrow whizzing past and into the cat's face caused Eaenna to cry out in shock, before Thylfrae once more grabbed her by the hand and pulled her along.

* * *

"I can't believe you made us go _back_ just to skin these cats," moaned Eaenna.

"I take my leatherworking as seriously as you take your herbalism. Which is very."

"But it's… unpleasant," muttered Eaenna.

"And you think hiking around the whole of Teldrassil for some stupid flower is extremely pleasant?" Thylfrae snapped.

Hurt appeared on Eaenna's face, and Thylfrae felt a pang of guilt.

"Look, I'm sorry. I know you're trying. But Eaenna…" She trailed off, before returning to skinning the cat.

"But what?"

"Nothing."

"Thylfrae, I know I'm… struggling… to advance in my magic, but-"

"You're getting better every day, Eaenna. Just… keep practising."

Eaenna scoffed. "Yeah, like that'll help. It's hopeless. We might as well face it now: I'm never going to be a good mage."

"Don't talk like that. Come on, I think that's the last of them," Thylfrae stated as she got up. Her hands were covered in blood, and she held them up to Eaenna, smiling like a child. Eaenna gave her a look of disgust, and began to back away cautiously from the night elf.

"Don't you dare."

Laughing, Thylfrae ran towards her, hands outstretched.

"Come give me a hug, Eaenny," Thylfrae chirruped, ignoring Eaenna's retorts. "Please. I need a hug."

Enveloping Eaenna in a hug, she laughed childishly.

"Get off me, you idiot," cried Eaenna, but Thylfrae could see her laughing as well. She let her go nonetheless.

"Come on, we need to get back," Eaenna sighed, defeated.

They began following the road northwest, back to Darnassus. It was a familiar road. Thylfrae and Eaenna would follow it almost every day. If it were not for Eaenna's herbalism needs, then it was for Thylfrae's desire to go out hunting and skinning. Other times they would merely be out for a stroll. Often, they would go for a trip to Dolanaar - to improve their professions - or to Shadowglen, where Eaenna would admire the great tree Aldrassil, whilst Thylfrae would take the opportunity to sharpen up her hunting skills with the local wildlife.

They came across a deep ravine beside the road, a sight Thylfrae was well acquainted with - Ban'ethil Hollow. It was wise to keep an eye out when passing by here. Ambush by the hostile furbolgs living within the hollow was a common thing. Thylfrae kept a close eye on Eaenna, assuring that she kept on the opposite side of the road from the ravine.

She recalled the one time when she had not been so precarious, which resulted in Eaenna having to be taken to the Dolanaar inn to rest.

Eaenna's lack in magic didn't as much bother Thylfrae as it did make her worry. She cared for her friend deeply, even if she was a bit harsh on her at time, yet if a time came for them to be separated, she could only hope that she had enough skills to handle herself in any issue.

"Be careful, Eaenna," urged Thylfrae as they walked by Ban'ethil Hollow.

"I swear to Mother Moon, Thylfrae… stop being so protective!" snapped Eaenna, as she shrugged off the hand Thylfrae had, out of instinct, placed on her shoulder.

"Sorry," responded Thylfrae, whilst a smirk appeared on her lips. Eaenna saw her, and slapped her on the shoulder.

"Ow," she mumbled, a pout appearing on her lips. They had by now passed furbolg territory and were approaching the entrance to Darnassus.

Thylfrae sighed as she took out her bow, checking it for any fractures. Her feet ached, but her pride would never allow her to admit it. As they drew nearer to the tall, stone steps, they each nodded respectively to the Ancient of War standing by. Regarding both Thylfrae and Eaenna, the large, tree-like creature grunted in response. Thylfrae was filled with a sense of curiosity whenever she passed the nature elementals, as if they always knew something she didn't.

As they walked past the steps and south, onto a small path winding through to the Tradesmen's Terrace, a feeling of home filled Thylfrae. The last nine years of living here caused her to form a strong love for Darnassus, as if she had lived there all her life. It was always nice returning after a long day.

As always, the city was in full spring. Sentinels prowling around on their sabres, wisps flying around trees, the distant chatter amongst night elves - friends gossiping and chatting, merchants selling their finest goods - and the occasional hippogryph passing by overhead.

Their house was but a small walk away from the city's entrance.

"Here we are," said Thylfrae, pushing open the door and letting Eaenna pass through before walking inside. Their home wasn't big, but it was enough for the both of them. A small table, along with two wooden stools stood to the left side of the main room. A single mirror hung over a wooden dresser just on the opposite side of the room from the table.

Eaenna placed her basket of flowers onto the table, reaching into it and setting the collection of flowers into a delicate vase. Thylfrae walked to the dresser, setting her bow on top. Looking at herself in the mirror, she let out a groan. Her hair had come out of her usual half up-half down hairstyle, leaving her hair a mess. She let out the the clasp that had hardly served it's purpose and began to tie her green locks into a tighter half updo at the back of her head. Her mother had always worn her hair like this. In a way, it was tradition - a way to remember her.

She had her mother's hair, and the bright, silver eyes were hers too. The pale skin and bold lips, however, were just like her father's. Her face was splattered with dry blood, and yet her green facial markings still shone through effortlessly.

Through the mirror, she could see Eaenna attempting to make her flower arrangement perfect in the clear vase. Eaenna's features were far more elegant compared to her own. The few scars on her face contrasted against Eaenna's flawless skin. Her aquamarine curls differed immensely from Thylfrae's straight, almost emerald-coloured hair. Their skin colours were almost alike, except that Eaenna's was just a slightly more lavender colour than Thylfrae's.

But Thylfrae wasn't jealous of Eaenna. She simply admired her for her beauty. Just as Eaenna admired Thylfrae for her skills in hunting.

"Perfect," whispered Eaenna, her eyes glazing over as she admired her handy work. Thylfrae sighed, and turned around to look at her.

"What's the point of flowers in the house, anyway?"

"They're beautiful. They make the house seem more _alive._ "

"Maybe for a week or so. They'll be dead by then."

"It is the beauty and quality of life that matters, not the length."

Thylfrae rolled her eyes.

"I'm going to my room. Efedris should be awake by now."

"Why don't you let that owl go outside more?" asked Eaenna, still not looking away from her flowers.

"He's resting," responded Thylfrae, "from yesterday's hunt." Her eyes lit up as she recalled the victory of the day before. The bounty had been glorious.

"Does he have enough to eat?"

"I think so-"

Thylfrae was interrupted by a knock on the front door. Eaenna looked up at Thylfrae questionly, who only returned the look.


	2. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two**

"Who could that be?" asked Thylfrae.

"I've no idea. Are we expecting anyone?"

"Not to my knowledge," responded Thylfrae as she approached the door. Her hand resting on the knob, she raised her voice.

" _Fandu-dath-belore_?"

Suddenly, a familiar voice carried through the crack in the door.

" _Ishnu-Alah_ , my fellow Kaldorei," responded a man's voice, humour interlacing his words.

Letting out a the breath she didn't know she was holding, Thylfrae swiftly opened the door. A tall figure stood facing her, grinning.

"Jareth!" cried Eaenna, leaping up. She ran to him, pushing Thylfrae out of the way, and he wrapped his arms around her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked into his chest, her question nearly inaudible.

"I heard there was an ambush of duskstalkers nearby, I came to see if you two were alright."

"We're fine," said Thylfrae.

"Come on now, Thylfrae, you can't just say you're fine and not tell me about what happened," Jareth smirked, releasing Eaenna.

"Fine," she sighed. "Come inside. Sit down." She nodded at the table. He followed her gesture and walked inside, and she closed the door behind him.

"Nice flowers," Jareth stated as he sat down, pointing at the neatly presented vase full of silverleaf. Thylfrae rolled her eyes.

Eaenna shot her a proud look before joining Jareth at the table.

"Want a drink, or something?" Thylfrae asked before she made a move to join them.

"Some moonberry juice would be refreshing, dear Thylly."

Thylfrae took in a deep breath before letting it out, slowly, deciding not to act upon it. She left them to get some moonberry juice from the kitchen.

Jareth let out a hearty chuckle, before returning to Eaenna.

"So, must've been one heck of a night. I'm surprised you managed to make it back in one piece."

"To be honest, me too. The six or seven duskstalkers against the two of us made it a pretty unfair fight."

"But you were able to hold them off?"

"Well… _I_ wasn't," Eaenna said quietly, looking towards the kitchen. "Thylfrae handled most of it. She was really brave."

"Well, for a girl so short, she sure does have a lot of skill," commented Jareth, earning a playful slap from Eaenna.

" _I'm only a foot shorter than you, Jareth!"_ yelled Thylfrae from the other room.

"I'd say a foot and two inches, to be _precise_ , darling," chuckled Jareth. "I still can't believe how bitter she is over our height difference."

"Well, you seem to enjoy making fun of it. You aren't really helping," responded Eaenna, giving him a look.

"But it's hilarious," he replied with a grin, before he leaned back in his chair and began twirling his moustache around his finger. He looked back up at Eaenna, who was watching him with a serious face.

"What?" he asked, dropping his hand. "It _is._ "

Thylfrae walked back into the room, her blushing face clearly showing how flustered she was about the whole ordeal. Not-so-gently, she set the glasses down on the table, before pulling a spare stool from the corner of the room, joining them at the small table.

It was silent for a while. Eventually Eaenna changed the subject.

"How's Faldron?"

"Oh," muttered Jareth, suddenly sitting up more. "He's fine, I guess. The usual. In fact, I'm going to see him later."

"That's great!" Eaenna suddenly exclaimed. "Send him our love."

He smiled a quick smile at her, before he was reminded of something.

"Oh! I nearly forgot!"

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out two red headbands.

"You left these from over a night or two ago."

"Of course! How did we forget them? Eaenna was meant to go get them earlier, but we became a bit occupied with the duskstalkers."

"I'm not surprised you left them, though," chortled Jareth. "After that much alcohol I was surprised you guys could even remember your own names. You could barely stand."

Thylfrae smiled as she remembered the night. It was a big party. Half the village had been there. She and Jareth had been the last ones standing - the only night elves capable of handling so much alcohol.

"I'm surprised your little body could take so much."

It was as if her smile had been wiped of her face, and now a glare stood in place of it.

"And yet I managed to stay awake _long_ after you did. _And_ I managed to not kiss any men whilst in my drunken state," Thylfrae retorted.

"Don't lie to me, I saw you eyeing that silver-haired elf."

"Yes, but I did not place my lips upon his, now, did I?"

"True, but you would've if Eaenna hadn't barfed all over him. I saw the way you were feeling his arms, and his chest…"

"I swear to Elune," began Thylfrae, standing up. Eaenna stopped her, and yet couldn't help but giggle slightly when she realised Thylfrae only managed to come to Jareth's height when he was sitting down. Even Jareth's usual smirk grew a little more at the realisation.

Thylfrae sat back down in a huff, and grabbed her red headband from the table. Tying it around her head, she turned to Eaenna.

"What about Eaenna? The few hours of her consciousness weren't as unforgettable as you claim mine to be. The first couple of hours were when she truly came alive. The star of the party. Dancing and drinking and having fun with everyone else. After that, though, she just became a wreck. Puking on everything and every _one._ "

"Of course! How could anyone forget _that_? After kindly escorting her back to my place, I was thanked with barf-covered pants. Had to throw them out afterwards."

Now it was Eaenna's turn to blush furiously. She opened her mouth to make a point, only to close it again. She repeated this motion a couple of times whilst Jareth and Thylfrae kept bantering on about Eaenna's mishaps that night.

"H-hey! At least I managed to get some sleep, _alone_ , in a comfortable bed back at Jareth's place. Thylfrae, you don't expect me to forget how I found you in the morning, head on dear Eladriel's stomach, feet atop poor Turian!"

Thylfrae began to blush again at the memory, her usually pale face returning to that magnificent sangria colour, whilst Jareth let out a hearty laugh.

"And you, Jareth Wildwoods! Only a metre away from her, half naked, arms wrapped around a shirtless Faldron. Though, I swear to Elune, the look on his face when I woke him up was priceless. Even so, there you were, with a great big smirk on your face, as usual!"

"His smile was gone when I threw a bucket of water on it," Thylfrae muttered.

"And while we're still on the topic of that night, Jareth - you owe me!"

"What?"

"You had betted away that necklace of yours. I had to pay Anadyia ten gold to get it back, just because you were so reckless and stupid enough to use it as payment when you ran out of all the money in your pocket," Eaenna spat.

"I must admit, betting is not my strongest point," Jareth confessed. "However, Thylly was so out of it she managed to lose her headband in a _tree._ It was only after everything was cleaned up that I managed to retrieve it. Took me a while."

Thylfrae suddenly looked at him with her eyes wide open.

" _Please_ tell me you at least washed it," she said, already reaching for the red fabric on her head.

"Sure I did. In the stream, if that's what you mean."

Thylfrae let out a high pitched shriek, and threw the cloth at him. Jareth burst into laughter and nearly fell back on the stool from how much he was leaning back on it. Eaenna sighed, but did so with a smile. Elune, her friends were weird.

Jareth still continued to laugh, even with Thylfrae slumped in her chair staring daggers at him. In fact, the look on her face just made him want to laugh even harder. Eaenna innocently looked at them both, taking a sip from her glass of moonberry juice.

He tried to calm himself, one hand upon his thick chest, the other on the edge of the table. He breathed in deeply, and sat on his seat normally once more. Bending down to pick up the headband that landed next to him on the floor, he placed it on the table before looking back at Thylfrae, only to find her looking back, anger reflected upon her face.

"Don't worry, my dear Thylly. I would never be so mean as to do that to you. It is _clean_."

Sighing, Thylfrae rose from her seat.

"I'm going to get Efedris - he's probably awake by now," she said, walking towards the closed door that led to her bedroom.

"Oh no, not that bloody bird of yours."

"Is there a problem, dear Jareth?" Thylfrae asked in a fake, sweet tone.

"That demon plans to murder me someday. Just you wait and see."

"Oh, stop over-exaggerating, Jareth. _One time_ he bit you, and now you think he plans your death?" Eaenna stated whilst rolling her eyes.

Suddenly, a loud caw echoed through the room, and Eaenna saw Jareth freeze in his seat. The small, ash-coloured bird appeared through the open doorway, perched on Thylfrae's outstretched arm.

"Relax, Jareth. I'm just going to bring him to the kitchen before letting him outside."

"Thank the Moon Goddess."

Thylfrae walked past them, and whilst doing so leaned in closer to Jareth just for a second, but enough for Efedris' feathers to brush the back of his long ears. This caused Jareth to let out a screech, and he nearly fell off his stool again in shock. Thylfrae let out a pleased chuckle, before continuing into the kitchen.

Eaenna sighed and turned to the fear-stricken night elf in front of her.

"Come on, Jareth. I've seen you take on packs of ten or so nightstalkers at once, and yet you're still frightened of a little innocent owl like Efedris? What's so scary about him?"

Unfrozen, Jareth leaned closer to Eaenna, eyes weary.

"I heard Strigid Hunters kill more than a thousand night elfs every year."

"Who told you that? Was it Jenal? I told you not to listen to what that ditch digger says. It's just nonsense most of the time."

" _Most_ of the time."

"The only thing Efedris kills are insects and the fleas in his feathers."

"Bullshit. I've seen that bird take on wild cats and furbolgs alike. He could easily kill a night elf like me."

"Like you? You're like ten times his size. And you're much stronger than him. I can't believe I have to tell you this just because of an _owl_."

"He's gone. I let him out the window in the kitchen. You're safe now, Jareth," Thylfrae interrupted, entering the room again.

"Praise Elune."

"So tell us, Jareth. How's the woodcutting business these days?" Eaenna asked as Thylfrae returned to her seat.

"Not so good, I'm afraid," he sighed with a shrug. "Could be better. Must we really talk about such dull subjects whilst sober?"

"Not if you don't want to," Eaenna replied. "Speaking of drinking, I'll go and refill our glasses." She got up, and took the glasses with her.

When the kitchen door had closed, Jareth turned towards Thylfrae.

"So, from what I heard," Jareth began, leaning closer, voice hushed, "you seemed to do most of the work with the duskstalkers."

"Yeah, well, it was a moment of do or die, so…"

"What about Eaenna?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm beginning to think she may need some… extra help," explained Thylfrae. "You know, with her magic. I do worry for her. I mean, What if in the future I'm not there to defend her like I did this morning? I don't want her to be hurt, or worse..." she trailed off.

Jareth was looking at her, concentrating, and she suddenly regretted telling him. Then, he looked relieved.

"Well, I'm glad we agree on _something_."

Thylfrae widened her eyes and pulled her head back in slight shock.

"You agree with me, then?"

"Of course. Earlier, when she was telling me what happened this morning I could almost… sense the sadness and disappointment she felt in herself. It's kind of heart breaking. She's a great girl who doesn't need something this troubling in her life."

"I try to tell her to seek extra help, or to practice more, but-"

She was cut off when she heard the kitchen door open again. The two of them stared at Eaenna, who frowned slightly when she saw their panicked expressions.

"What's going on?" she asked, as she walked over to the table and placed the refilled glasses down. Jareth looked at Thylfrae, and she glanced back at him. Eaenna still stood, leaning slightly on her right leg, fingers strumming on the table.

"Well?"

Thylfrae hesitated for a second, looking at Jareth again for reassurance. He nodded, and she looked back at Eaenna.

"Eaenna. We're - how do I put this? - worried for you, I guess."

"Worried? W-why would you be worried for me?" Eaenna asked, smiling a little, but her eyes narrowing as she dared Thylfrae to continue. Her fingers stopped strumming on the table, and her hand was at her side now, balled in a fist.

Thylfrae hesitated for a bit before answering, her lips trying to form the right words.

"Eaenna… you know what I think of you and your magic. That perhaps you could use, well, a little bit of help. A tutor maybe. You know, I actually knew some people-"

"Thylfrae. We've been over this. I. Am. Perfectly. Fine. I don't _need help_. Why don't you get that? Why do you think you need to be so protective over me? Do you really think so lowly of me, that I'm some weak, little girl that requires your help and protection all the time? I can take care of myself!"

"You say that, but look at what happened this morning! If I hadn't been there with you, you would be _dead_ by now!"

"Oh yes, _thank you_ for saving my life _once again_ , oh Great Thylfrae. I just don't know how I could ever repay you."

Thylfrae stayed silent, right eye twitching with irritation. She did not enjoy arguing with her best friend, but she needed to knock some sense into her.

Eaenna breathed in deeply, not losing eye contact with Thylfrae. She could see her eye twitching, and she recalled the reason behind this action. But she could not let Thylfrae treat her like a child any longer. Why couldn't she see that she was _fine_? She _was_ fine, after all. Sure, her magic didn't always work as she would've liked it to. And that morning - it was only because she panicked that she wasn't able to conjure up a spell, right? ...Right?

She looked at Jareth, only to see that his face had concern plastered all over.

"Jareth, you don't think that I need help, surely?"

Jareth looked her in the eyes, not daring to blink.

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Thylfrae on this one, Eaenna. From what I've heard _and_ seen, you could really use the extra help. Or maybe…"

"Or maybe what?"

"Maybe being a mage isn't really the right choice for you."

"What do you mean, of course it's the right choice for me. It's all I know. Ever since I was a little child, and I saw what the older elf mages were capable of, I _knew_ being a mage was the right choice for me."

"Eaenna…"

"Don't, Thylfrae. Just don't say another word about it. I'm fine, you're fine, we're all fine, okay? Now let's forget this and enjoy our drinks together like normal people." With that, she finally sat down at the table and took a sip from her glass.

It was silent for a while, until Jareth decided to speak again.

"Hey, so, how about after we finish our drinks we go outside somewhere?"

"Aren't you meant to be meeting with Faldron later, though?" Thylfrae asked at last.

"Yeah, but not until _much_ later. Like, in the evening."

"Oh. Well, if you want, we can go to the training grounds. I need to sharpen up my marksmanship skills."

"Sounds great," Eaenna said.

The three of them got up when suddenly a cry came from outside.

"Efedris is back."

"Please don't tell me you're taking that creature with you."

"Don't worry, he'll be staying at home."

"Thank Elune for that, then," sighed Jareth, relieved.

As they walked towards the training grounds, Thylfrae pulled out her bow, checking for any faults or scratches on it. She was very careful with her weapons. They were a part of her, in a way. She would never leave the house without her bow and arrow, except for a party. She had learned at a very young age that it was better to always be prepared rather than be put in the line of danger without even a weapon to protect yourself.

They approached the targets, and Eaenna wandered to the side with Jareth, obviously not participating.

"Eaenna," called Thylfrae. "Want to practice with me?"

"No thanks," said Eaenna, shaking her head.

"Alright, maybe next time," Thylfrae said slowly with a smile, and yet sighed she let the first arrow fly.

* * *

Thylfrae pulled another set of arrows out of the centre of her target. Wiping the sweat from her brow, she looked towards Eaenna. She was sitting alone now - Jareth had left a while ago. She seemed to be deep in thought, staring blankly down at her hands.

"Eaenna?" called Thylfrae.

Eaenna looked up, eyes unfocused.

"We should get going now. The sun will be up soon."

"Oh, yeah." Standing up, she began walking towards Thylfrae.

"Eaenna-"

"I know, I know. I need more training. It's just, I don't think anyone else would be willing to-"

"Eaenna, wait-"

"No, hear me out. Daros already tried to train me, and he told me I was basically hopeless-"

"It's not that, Eaenna."

"What?" said Eaenna

"Your headband," Thylfrae explained, pointing towards where Eaenna had been sitting. "You forgot it."

"Oh," laughed Eaenna, moving to retrieve the piece of cloth. "Good thinking. Wouldn't want to leave it here."

She moved back towards Thylfrae, still staring at the red headband.

"Remember when we got these?"

The memory came flooding back into Thylfrae's mind, and she couldn't help but smile.

"How could I forget?"


	3. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three**

" _Welcome to my humble abode."_

 _Jareth stood in front of his home, arm out, a wide grin appearing on his somewhat dirty face. It was always dirty. But it couldn't be helped. His job as a woodcutter wasn't one necessarily linked to cleanliness._

 _Thylfrae and Eaenna stared at the house. It was only next door to theirs, but they never really took the time to look at their neighbours' homes. They stayed silent for a bit, which gave Jareth the opportunity to speak again._

" _I hope you don't mind the mess."_

 _Thylfrae saw Eaenna slump a little, and she knew immediately what her friend's expression was, even if she could not see her face - eyes shut tight, bracing herself for the horror that was about to be revealed to her._

 _He opened the door and Thylfrae let out a sharp gasp._

" _Messy, you say?" Thylfrae faced him, one eyebrow raised and her mouth pulled into a smile she could not help. Jareth shrugged his shoulders, and let out a little chuckle. Thylfrae turned to her friend, who was still waiting in anticipation with shut eyes._

" _You can open your eyes now, Eaenna."_

 _Slowly, Eaenna opened one of her eyes. As calmness washed over her, she opened the other one, and she looked inside. She smiled lightly._

" _It's lovely," said Eaenna softly, taking in her surroundings._

 _The room was practically spotless. A table, slightly larger than their own at home, was set in the middle; two wooden benches sat on either side of it, long enough to fit four people comfortably at once. A tall, yellow screen with purple tree designs stood in the far right corner, along with a dresser adjacent to it on the back wall. A bright gold and iris coloured banner hung next to it. The left side of the room seemed almost bare, were it not for the different paintings in various-sized frames covering its wall. A single bench was pushed up against it, and a small end table held up a single vase, filled with Mageroyal flowers._

 _Something brushed against Thylfrae's leg, making her jump. Looking down, she saw a pair of bright, yellow eyes glaring up at her._

" _That's Arech," smiled Jareth. "He won't hurt you, don't worry. He likes meeting new people."_

 _Eaenna reached down to stroke the small creature. It looked almost like a duskstalker, except it was too small, and wasn't covered in spots. Instead, this animal was covered in silver fur, soft as a feather in Eaenna's fingers. It's face was much more pleasant than a duskstalker's, and instead of seeing hate in the small creature's eyes, she saw curiosity._

" _What is this small saber doing in your house?" Eaenna asked in shock, hands still caressing the pet._

" _He's not exactly a saber cat. Just an ordinary domestic cat. I found him whilst travelling around the Eastern Kingdoms."_

 _Thylfrae simply stared at the feline, her eyes narrowing. She had never seen such a small cat in all her years of hunting - not even sabre cat cubs were as small as this one. Arech looked at her, and let out a high pitched mew. It was softer than those she was used to, and it kind of freaked her out. She observed it a bit longer, and decided that its fur, although pretty, was too small to be of hardly any use in leatherworking. Yet, if it did so much as try to attack her, she would be prepared to skin the thing._

" _So, who wants drinks?" asked Jareth, clapping his hands together. Eaenna was making strange noises at his small, horrified-looking cat, pouting her lips and cooing, which made Thylfrae sigh and follow Jareth inside._

" _Please, take a look around. I'll be right in the kitchen preparing drinks and snacks. Is moonberry juice and some Darnassian Bleu good for you?"_

" _Sounds great, thanks," replied Thylfrae. She could still hear Eaenna's peculiar cooing sounds behind her, and a smile pulled at the corner of her lips._

 _She walked towards a door to the left of the room and opened it. It was fairly dim in there compared to the rest of the house, and her enhanced vision allowed her to make out enough shapes and colours. Before walking in, she heard Eaenna enter the house, having managed to pull herself away from the pint-sized creature, and she watched as she sat down at the main table._

" _I'll just be in here, okay Eaenna?"_

 _Eaenna responded with a nod, and her eyes returned to Arech, who had begun making his way back into the house._

 _Thylfrae returned to the room in front of her, walked inside, and closed the door behind her. It was slightly more messier than the main room, with sheets of paper scattered slightly at one side. A single desk stood by a small window, and she was shocked at what she saw on top of it._

 _Different cloths were laid out, a range of colours and materials. Silk, cotton, wool, varying from shades of crimson to turquoise to amber. Curious, she stepped towards to the arranged cloths, only to trip over something on the floor._

 _Shrieking, she tried to stop her fall by grabbing onto the desk, but instead, her hand closed around a piece of cloth, and her face hit the floor with a loud thud._

" _Thylly?" called Eaenna from the other room. Thylfrae could hear her footsteps approaching behind the closed door, and she grunted in response. Slowly, she managed to pull herself up again as Eaenna walked into the small room._

" _What happened?" she asked, looking at Thylfrae with a worried expression._

" _I fell," sighed Thylfrae. She looked down at her feet and saw the crumpled piece of cloth lying on the floor. It was a pretty colour, like a gem. It was an iridescent red, that seemed to shine from a shade of scarlet to one of a garnet, from a ruby red to a sharp crimson. It glimmered slightly in the small amount of light entering the room. It didn't seem to be just an ordinary piece of cloth - it was shaped in an intentional way, and she began to wonder what it was._

 _Sighing once again, she reached down to pick it up. Feeling a tug on her foot as she brought the light fabric towards her face, her eyes widened in horror. A loud_ rip _sounded through the room, and she froze suddenly._

" _Eaenna," she whispered, unmoving. "Um…"_

" _Thylfrae… what did you just do…?"_

" _I...I think I ripped it."_

 _She looked up at Eaenna, whose face showed only fear. Thylfrae lifted her foot up and bent down to pick up the torn piece of cloth under it. They both stared at it in disbelief, when suddenly a familiar voice echoed outside the room._

" _Guys? Where are you?"_

" _Shit," Eaenna whispered. Just by hearing that one word, Thylfrae knew they were in serious trouble. Eaenna usually never swore._

" _We're just looking around," called Eaenna, trying to sound natural. Her eyes skittered around the room, and she walked towards the arrangement of cloths still lined neatly on the desk. She picked up one of a similar colour to Thylfrae's, and, after a quick examination of the fabric, she turned towards her friend again._

" _Give me that," she commanded, pointing at the cloth in Thylfrae's hand. Without hesitation, Thylfrae handed it to her, and watched in fascination as Eaenna stuffed the two items down the front of her robe._

 _She grabbed Thylfrae's hand and led the both of them out of the sewing room, one hand resting on her neck, which although made it look like she was innocently scratching her neck, in fact allowed the crook of her arm to cover her chest._

 _Jareth watched them from his table, confusion on his face as the two night elves shifted awkwardly in place._

" _Well, thank you Jareth for showing us your home. It really was a lovely visit, but we have to be getting back now-"_

" _You don't want any moonberry juice?" questioned Jareth, cocking an eyebrow._

" _We're fine, thank you," replied Eaenna, hastily making for the door, Thylfrae following close behind her. "Bye, Jareth."_

" _Are you sure? What about some Cenarion Spirits-"_

 _By the time he could finish his sentence, they were already gone._

" _Eaenna! Are you seriously going to pass up an offer of Cenarion Spirits? Do you know how rare that drink is?!" Thylfrae almost shrieked as she was dragged along the road._

" _Don't even talk to me about that, Thylfrae. Do you even know how much trouble we would've been in if he found out what_ you _did?" Eaenna hissed, her tone of voice harsh and unlike the usual cheery one._

 _Thylfrae stayed silent, frowning._

" _What are we going to do?" she asked, trying to stay calm, but Eaenna could hear the panic edging into her voice._

" _I think I saw some old tailoring books in the library," said Eaenna. "We can use them to fix the cloth, I'm sure it won't be too difficult."_

" _I...I can't learn how to tailor, I've already spent so much time with my leatherworking…" Thylfrae began to mumble._

 _Eaenna looked at her best friend, and concern took over her face._

" _You won't have to give up your leatherworking, Thylfrae."_

" _But I will. This is my fault and I've got to fix this."_

" _I can do it, Thylly. I've been bored recently with my inscription, and to be honest I don't really get it."_

" _I can't get you to do that for me, Eaenna."_

 _By now they had already reached their house. Eaenna stopped at the door._

" _Trust me, Thyl. I'll be glad to," she replied with a smile. Thylfrae smiled back at her._

* * *

" _Where did I put that damn needle?!"_

" _In that damn box," responded Thylfrae, pointing to the small, spruce-coloured box._

 _Frustrated, Eaenna threw the piece of cloth she was working on at the wall, and buried her face in her hands. Thylfrae watched awkwardly from the door._

" _You okay?"_

 _Eaenna took in a deep breath, and held it for a couple of seconds, before letting it out and saying,_

" _Yeah. Yes. I am perfectly fine. Just... leave me be for a bit so I can carry on practicing, please?" She had yet to lift her face from the palms of her hands._

 _Thylfrae nodded, although she was pretty sure Eaenna couldn't see her. She walked out of the room and closed the door behind her._

 _Eaenna had been spending the whole day in her bedroom, pouring over books and different sewing patterns. Occasionally, Thylfrae could hear a crash or a thud come from behind the closed door. Apparently, tailoring was very hard to learn._

 _At one point, Thylfrae had offered to just tell Jareth what had happened and own up to her mistake, but Eaenna had simply ignored her._

" _If we tell him now he'll just make a big deal out of it," Eaenna had cried, scrambling over two pieces of cloth that had somehow become tangled together. Thylfrae had never seen her looking so stressed. It made her feel bad, and she wanted to do something to help, but she couldn't. Besides, Eaenna wouldn't have allowed her to anyway._

 _Hours would pass. Thylfrae could still hear Eaenna working as she tried to sleep._

 _The next day, Jareth had come to the door to ask if everything was okay. Thylfrae had to keep him outside the house so that he wouldn't accidentally come across Eaenna working on the damaged goods._

 _Another day passed. The only times Eaenna would leave the room would be to quickly run to the local general goods store to buy more supplies. Thylfrae would bring food to her room, in fear that Eaenna would forget to feed herself._

 _Night came, and Thylfrae had been sitting at the living room table alone. Suddenly, a creak sounded from behind her, and her long ears twitched at the sound. Looking towards the source of the ruction, she saw the door to Eaenna's room was wide open, and standing there was the most terrifying thing Thylfrae had ever seen._

 _Eaenna's hair had changed from it's usual soft, shiny look to a tangled mess that resembled a wild Netherdust Bush she had seen in Eaenna's Herbalism books, and her robes were crinkled all over. Her face, both a mixture of extreme exhaustion and jubilation made her look like a crazed beast that had been hunting for days to find food and finally got to sink it's teeth into a newly killed prey. It was the most blood-thirsty Eaenna had ever looked in her life, and Thylfrae was horrified._

" _Eaenna?" questioned Thylfrae, uncertain. However, instead of replying, Eaenna slowly walked towards the table and set down on top of it two identically shaped pieces of crimson cloth._

" _Eaenny, you did it!" screamed Thylfrae, jumping up from her chair to hug her best friend. For the first time in days, she heard her friend laugh. Thylfrae couldn't help but smile._

" _Yeah," began Eaenna. "Apparently, the thing you ripped was a headband, but it was very unusually shaped. I couldn't figure out what it was for ages."_

" _What do you mean? If it was a headband, then surely it would've been easy to recognise?"_

 _Eaenna breathed in, and let out a jagged sigh. She ran her fingers through her matted mane of hair and blinked a couple of times before staring at Thylfrae with wide eyes._

" _The stitching. Was odd. I don't know how Jareth acquired such a weirdly sewn headpiece. And two, at that. The iridescent colours made my eyes dizzy after staring for too long. It didn't exactly help that you ripped it in an extremely annoying way, and it took me a while to perfect a hidden stitch so that Jareth wouldn't notice."_

 _Taking the headband in her hands, Thylfrae inspected Eaenna's tailoring skills. She was surprised to see how almost professionally the rip had been fixed. There_ was _a bit of thread showing still, but Thylfrae couldn't expect Eaenna to master the art of Tailoring in only a few days. Even so, the stitch was as perfect as she could've imagined. It was red, much like the headband, and only really showed if you were looking for it. Otherwise, it was a remarkable piece of sewing._

" _Let's go give these to Jareth, then."_

* * *

" _...which is why we had to take them both and leave in such a hurry. We do realise we have committed a felony by stealing them, but I hope you can understand why."_

 _Jareth's eyebrows were furrowed as he listened to their story. Thylfrae tried to keep her cool, but was discreetly panicking. Her finger tips began to itch and she bit her lip. She didn't know why, but she had a feeling she didn't want to see Jareth angry._

 _She looked over at Eaenna, whose face was one of determination. She didn't seem scared or worried as Jareth examined the headbands, and Thylfrae was surprised to see this completely new side of her. However, she was enjoying it immensely._

 _Jareth looked back at them, eyes shifting from Eaenna to Thylfrae and then back at the crimson pieces in his hands. In a split second, his frown turned to a smile, and his loud chuckle echoed throughout his household._

 _Thylfrae was baffled at the sight, her eyes turning wide as she watched his expression change so drastically. She was glad to see Eaenna was just as shocked to see this rapid difference._

 _His laughter continued for a good half minute, and none of their expressions changed in that time._

" _Oh, my dear friends. Please, never change."_

" _I'm sorry?" Thylfrae asked, her face still showing her bewilderment._

" _So innocent. I can't believe you two."_

" _What?" asked Eaenna._

" _These headbands. Oh, Elune, how do I say this? I used to be a tailor, you see. For a short while, maybe a few years. I came across this cloth on one of my adventures around Azeroth. Stood out to me. Didn't really have enough to make anything too excessive, so I made these matching headbands. They're nothing, really. Just an opportunity to practice a bit more."_

 _Eaenna and Thylfrae stood there in silence. They stared at the older night elf in a mixture of wonderment, admiration, and just pure stupefaction._

" _A warrior like you was once a tailor?" Thylfrae asked in an almost half mutter, half whisper._

" _Yes, is there a problem with that? Tailoring is not a weak profession, young Kaldorei."_

" _I'm not saying anything is wrong with tailoring," Thylfrae quickly added when she got a cold glance from Eaenna, "'Tis just that it is quite… unusual for a warrior to take up tailoring, what with their little need for cloth."_

" _Life is not as long as it used to be, Thylfrae. We are not immortals anymore. I say experience as much as you can in this short, short life," Jareth responded, his smile fading slightly as he finished his sentence. The mood somehow turned quite dark._

 _Eaenna was frowning at the floor. Her shoulders were dropped now, and she was in a sort of defeated slouch._

" _What is it, Eaenna?" Thylfrae asked, as she saw the way Eaenna looked at the ground._

" _It's just… I spent so_ long _on them…"_

 _Jareth exhaled a laugh as he observed the young mage._

 _He extended the hand holding the crimson headbands, and smiled._

" _Take them."_

" _What?" Eaenna questioned, raising an eyebrow at him._

" _Take them, honestly. I have no need for them."_

" _Are you sure, Jareth?" asked Eaenna, still hesitant to take them._

" _As sure as I ever will be. They'll just be collecting dust in my possession," he replied, giving them a small wink._

 _Eaenna smiled a bit, and took the pieces of cloth from his hand._

"Shaha Lor'ma _, Jareth."_

* * *

"I still can't believe that was just over nine years ago," Thylfrae sighed. They had arrived home by now.

"I still can't believe you made me take up an entire profession because of it," exclaimed Eaenna, nudging her friend.

"Hey, I told you I would do it, but you wouldn't listen," laughed Thylfrae, nudging her back. Eaenna was shaking her head.

Together, they sat down at the small table in their living room. It was the same table that Thylfrae had been sitting at when Eaenna had brought in the fixed headbands. Thinking about the past memory, Thylfrae absent-mindedly reached up to touch the red cloth that was tied around her head, and smiled a bit.

A sudden distant shout surprised them both, and the sound of chaos began to erupt outside.

"What in Elune-?"

* * *

 _ **Please feel free to leave a review, favorite or follow if you enjoy the story!**_


	4. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four**

"Another marvelous victory, Madraes!"

"All for the good of the people, Cazarez! Greed is for all those who embrace simplicity, and simplicity is for those who are cowards!"

A sack of gold was then thrown into the crowd of night elves, earning another loud cheer that made Thylfrae's ears twitch. She was standing to the side, arms crossed, overlooking the madness that had unfolded only a few minutes ago.

Her and Eaenna had ventured out of the house, curious to find out what all the fuss was about. Thylfrae had groaned when she saw the tall, bold night elf standing amongst the crowd, boasting about his newest victory.

"He says that, but I'd bet my left arm that he has a big, secret stash of gold hidden away somewhere in his mansion of a house."

Thylfrae snorted at Eaenna's remark, but her smile quickly faded when something small and hard hit her on the forehead. She turned to the source and found Madraes grinning at her, a large bag of coins in his hand.

She gritted her teeth as she watched him push himself through the crowd of adoring night elves, and was soon a few feet in front of her.

"Thylfrae, my dear. How have you been?" Madraes asked her with a smile that would've made any empty-headed, foolish night elf swoon.

"Madraes," Thylfrae replied through her teeth, her eyes narrowing in his direction, emotionless. She did not return the smile.

Eaenna stood awkwardly beside the two of them, uncertain of what to do.

Madraes' charming smile did not fade, and he took a step closer to Thylfrae, now slightly towering over the 6'3" night elf. He placed his thumb and forefinger upon her chin, and studied her youthful face carefully.

Almost immediately, Thylfrae jerked her head away and slapped his hovering hand away, earning a shocked gasp from the small crowd. Muttering soon began as the citizens awaited what would happen next.

"Don't you dare lay your filthy hands on me again," Thylfrae spat at him.

Madraes hesitated, his smile nearly fading. He raised an eyebrow, before crossing his arms again.

"Ah, my sweet Thylfrae. How I would hate to see that feistiness of yours leave."

Thylfrae did not respond, but instead mirrored his position, crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow at him.

The virile night elf in front of her stood proudly, mocking her as he seemed unaffected by her sudden lash out. He was certainly taller than her - his height of 7'5" easily imposing upon Thylfrae's much shorter stature. His skin was a pale-mulberry shade, a colourful contrast to the pale, fair tone of the she-elf. His admiral-blue hair was split into two long plaits, with a large section pulled free at the back. His face held a smug smirk, unlike Jareth's friendly one. Madraes' smirk showed only his egocentricity and arrogance.

"You know, personally I've always found your _feistiness_ and beauty quite alluring. And your skill as a hunter - not as adept as mine, perhaps - but there's always room for improvement."

Thylfrae felt like puking at his words. She kept it in though, desperate not to show that his words affected her in any way. She was used to this talk. This accursed, pompous elf had spoken like this to her for a long time.

A low whistle sounded through the air from someone in the crowd. Thylfrae dared not look away from Madraes, challenging him to be the first. She kept her expression natural, defiant to express her emotions in front of him. He had no right to them, in her opinion.

"Go waste your time on someone else, because I'd rather not waste mine on you."

The crowd gasped. She didn't dare look away from Madraes, but she could see the crowd's faces in the corner of her eye. Disgust. At her. She expected it. The people of Darnassus would never turn their back on their _heroic_ saviour.

The muttering began again, and she could hear her name being spat from the citizens' mouths. As if it were poison. As if _she_ were poison.

Of course, no one ever dared go up against Madraes Starmane. Just thinking about everyone in the village gushing over him made her feel sick to the stomach. Surely, she wasn't the only one that could see him for what he actually was - a con. A manipulative snake.

"If only you realised just how fatuous _you_ sound, Thylfrae. It's not a surprise, of course. No matter how," he breathed in, "beautiful and _feisty_ you may be, you still speak like a fool. I should've expected it. How old are you again? 180? Hardly even an adult. Such words are to be expected, coming from a _child's_ mouth," Madraes finally said. He was smiling - a smile that, to Thylfrae, seemed condescending.

Her face flushed a soft maroon from anger. The crowd sniggered slightly, but Thylfrae held her ground. She wouldn't be losing to a selfish bastard like him.

"Thylfrae."

Eaenna finally spoke up. Thylfrae ignored her, though, determined not to leave it like this.

"Thylfrae," Eaenna said again, this time louder as she placed a hand on her shoulder.

Thylfrae glared at Madraes for a few more seconds, before allowing Eaenna to pull her away. The crowd began to murmur as they left, but a sudden cheer from Madraes caused everyone to return to their previous merry mood.

The walk home wasn't far, but it was certainly quite silent. Thylfrae kept her head forward, and the stern look on her face did not leave. Eaenna would occasionally take a worried glance in her friend's direction, but didn't dare say a word. She mainly kept her focus on the ground, sometimes kicking at a loose pebble on the stone path.

They approached their wood house, and Eaenna closed the door behind them. Thylfrae walked over to the stool in the middle of the room, and slumped down. She rested her head on her hands, and sighed.

"He's an idiot," Eaenna told her.

Thylfrae's response wasn't much: just a silent huff through her nose.

"Will you be alright?"

There was a pause, and Thylfrae lifted her head. She looked over at Eaenna, her face a picture of tiredness with a slight hint of irritation.

"Yeah. It's Madraes, what else was I to expect? That he'll stop acting the way he's acted all this time? It's just _tiring_ , Eaenna. It's annoying. Stupid. I...I just don't know..." she trailed off.

Eaenna decided to join her at the table.

"It's just him and his damn posse. It's not normal. They value greed and money so much. Now, don't get me wrong, I've never been that kind of elf to deny money, or rant on about how greed is horrible, but... "

Eaenna looked at her oddly, wondering what Thylfrae was rambling on about.

Thylfrae saw the look Eaenna was giving her, and sighed again - though at herself this time.

"As much as I hate them, I do envy them, Eaenna. The cheers, the respect… the fame. And just, seeing him and that little group of his angers me. Madraes misuses his popularity, and now lives in a world where he thinks he can get anything he wants with a smile and some charm. He knows how I feel about this, and he still continues to do it - to annoy me especially. It's just so annoying."

Eaenna reached out for her friend's hand. Thylfrae took it without hesitation, but did not return the smile Eaenna was presenting her with. It was times like these that Eaenna knew Thylfrae wanted to be alone.

* * *

A pounding headache threatened Thylfrae as she slowly opened her eyes. A mess of tangled hair greeted her vision and she groaned.

She had fallen asleep at the table, with her arms crossed under her chin. Her neck ached as she looked around the dark room. Eaenna seemed to have left, probably to collect more plants for training in Herbalism, as Thylfrae remembered.

She pushed herself away from the table, and suddenly a large screech echoed through the room as she moved her chair. She made her way across the room to the mirror. She was glad to see that her hair was not a complete mess, but then decided that redoing it would be a much better idea than to leave it.

Pleased with the way she looked now, Thylfrae decided to make her way to her bedroom, but was stopped at the sound of someone knocking on the front door.

 _Did Eaenna forget something?_ Thylfrae asked herself as she made her way to the door.

Before her hand had even touched the handle, another knock sounded on the door.

"A little patience never hurt anybody," she mumbled, and swung open the door.

Stood in front of her, anger plastered across his face, was the one and only Madraes Starmane.

"Oh, can I help you?" Thylfrae asked, quite displeased at the sight she saw.

Without a word, Madraes grabbed Thylfrae roughly by the arm and pulled her inside, slamming the door behind him.

"What do you think you're-!" an outraged Thylfrae began, but was cut off by the seemingly angrier Madraes, who said,

"Don't ever speak to me like that again," spat Madraes. His face was flushed, and his eyes looked about ready to murder someone. Murder _her_.

"What?!"

Madraes glared at her, and pushed her against the wall, pinning her by her upper arms.

"How dare you embarrass me like that in front of everyone?"

"I was only speaking the truth!" exclaimed Thylfrae, trying but failing to get away from Madraes' grasp. "Or do you not want your _people_ to know that you're a lying, brooding-"

A flash of pain swept across her face, and she gasped sharply. He had slapped her. Her expression quickly turned to rage.

"The only one lying to themselves here is you," spat Madraes.

"And how did you work that out in that marvellous brain of yours?" She was shouting now, her blood filling with anger.

"Thinking you could make a new life here, become a better person than I am, have people respect you, or even like you for that matter. It's ridiculous. Who could ever prefer you, a pathetic, awkward little elf over me, a talented and generous citizen who actually does something to help this town."

"Help this town? Oh yes, I see how your acts of greed and materialism _helps_ this town! You don't understand the first thing about helping. While you spend your days away from here, drinking and whoring and hunting, I'm actually here, doing something to help the people who live in Teldrassil. I have friends, real genuine people who actually like me for me, and not just because of my money, talent or fame!"

"What, those _deadbeats_ you call friends?"

"Don't you _dare_ -"

Suddenly her words were cut off as Madraes pressed his face into her's, and she instantly felt nauseous. His breath was on her face, hot and fast, and his lips were pushed against hers. She felt her stomach squeeze up - not in excitement, but in fear and disgust. One of his arms was still holding onto hers, whilst the other was slightly to the side of her head. Dread swept over Thylfrae like a cold gush of wind, but her face was heating up in a mix of anger and embarrassment. His body was about a few centimetres from hers. Her mind was foggy, she couldn't think straight. The only thing she could think about was she wanted this to _stop_.

With all her strength, she used her one free arm and shoved her arm onto his chest in a fast jolt. Immediately, he staggered back, releasing his grip on her right arm, allowing her to slap him across the face just like he had done before.

"Don't you _dare_ do that to me again."

Her voice was low, and she hissed out her words. She didn't look into his eyes, she didn't dare allow herself to. She forced her eyes down to the floor, towards a single knot in the wood. She could hear his staggered breathing. The sound filled the room with unbearable tightness, and suddenly Thylfrae wanted to scream, to somehow break it all. She didn't even have to look to know a smirk had begun to form on Madraes' face.

"What's the matter, Thylfrae? Not as good as you remember it to be?"

At that comment, Thylfrae forced her eyes to meet his.

"You are not the same man as you once were Madraes. You and I both know that."

"Still holding onto the past, I see. Maybe that's why you're so bitter nowadays."

"I am not bitter, I am just able to see what is and isn't good for me."

Madraes took a step back, and raised a long, dark blue eyebrow at her. He paused for a bit, looking her up and down.

Finally, he said,

"I don't see why you didn't want this. A life of happiness and wealth. Me, a man who could've provided for you. We could've had a family - we would've been unstoppable, you and I-"

"I did want that. I've always wanted that - a family, someone to spend the rest of my life with. And believe it or not, I used to think that could've happened with you. But… but things changed, _you_ changed."

It was silent again.

"I still want you, Thylfrae. Even after you've denied me."

Suddenly, something inside Thylfrae _snapped_.

"Don't you _dare_ make it seem like all of this is my fault! I gave you a chance, I gave you two! You threw my trust away, you ignored my thoughts and feelings, you made me feel so _guilty_ , like everything really was my fault! But, you know what? When I finally came to my senses, when I finally _realised that maybe it wasn't my fault that I felt that way_ , I left. I left because I knew I didn't deserve that. I told you not to follow me. I told you to leave me alone. I left to get away from you. The last good thing you could've done for me is to have left me alone. But no, you had to make sure to follow me here, a place where I could restart my life and move on, and then go on to keep reminding me of the past, and keep trying to make me feel guilty again. What, did you think that through enough guilt-tripping I'd finally run back to you, begging for you to take me back? I pity you if that's how your cruel, twisted mind works," Thylfrae spat.

Madraes opened his mouth to speak, but just then the front door jolted wide open, causing them both to jump, and Eaenna quickly stormed in. A large bunch of weeds and flowers were grasped in her hands, and her eyes widened when they spotted Madraes in the room. The expression she wore was like steel.

"What's _he_ doing here?"

Madraes glared back at her, took a quick glance at Thylfrae, and then responded:

"I was just about to leave."

Eaenna looked over at Thylfrae, but noticed that she was looking away. Her eyes snapped back to Madraes, and when she noticed he had not moved she motioned to the door.

"Go ahead, then."

Madraes' eyes narrowed on Eaenna, obviously not liking how she spoke to him.

He walked over to the door, but paused when he was in line with her.

"Still practising your magic, then?"

"Yes." Her answer was quick, but blunt.

"Ah, I see. Well, I'm sure it won't be too long now. You've only been practising it now for, what was it? Around 150 years? I'm sure you'll get a spark or something sooner or later. That's if you aren't killed before that."

"I'll be fine, thank you very much," Eaenna replied in a monotone voice.

"Of course you will be, with dear _Thylfrae_ protecting you all the time. Without her, Elune knows how long ago you would've been murdered by some creature or another."

Eaenna didn't react.

"You were leaving?" she asked, this time opening the door wide.

Another glance, a huff, and then Madraes was gone. Eaenna stood in silence, staring at Thylfrae's frozen figure. She reached out towards her friend, but instantly Thylfrae moved away, and collected her hunting gear from the edge of the room.

Eaenna let her leave. She knew more than anyone that when Thylfrae wanted to be alone, it was best to not get in her way. She was sensitive, one of the most sensitive people Eaenna had ever met. But she would never show it. Not to anyone. Not if she could help it.

Sighing, Eaenna leaned against the closed door. Madraes' words had hurt her. Elune only knows what he had said to Thylfrae when she wasn't there.

This wasn't the first time things were like this. Madraes wasn't always in Darnassus, but when he was Eaenna knew there would be a day, or even a couple, where Thylfrae had to be left alone. She just didn't expect it to be so soon, but after the… little conflict earlier... it was to be expected.

She hadn't known Madraes as long as Thylfrae had. She had only met him when they had moved to Darnassus, but Thylfrae had told her of how much he had changed over the years. As if something evil had possessed him, twisting his mind, and his heart. They had history. Eaenna knew that much. She often wondered what could have happened to such a person to fill them with that much depravity and wickedness, enough for Thylfrae to want to have nothing to do with them.

Looking down at the plants still held in her hands, she decided to turn her attention towards training again. It was useless to think about the past. She believed in the future, and finding the time to do things that mattered.

Pushing herself away from the door, she removed her satchel and released it's contents onto the table. She had purchased a new herbalism book during her walk, and was determined to learn something from it.

Flickering through the pages, her attention rested on a guide to Mageroyal. Scanning through the lines, she learned it was a purple plant that specifically grows where magical activity had recently taken place. Staring at the detailed picture sketched onto the paper in front of her, she frowned. She never knew such beautiful plants could grow from something as frustrating and hindering as magic. And _unintentionally_ as well.

She stared at her hands. Would her magic ever be capable of producing a plant as beautiful and elegant as this one? She highly doubted it. But there was a tiny part of her that _hoped_ , _dreamed_ , _desired, that maybe one day…_

She shook her head.

Turning to the front of the book, she noticed it was written by someone called Nylaste Fairwater. _They probably never had any trouble with their magic_ thought Eaenna. She allowed all thoughts of brooding to be pushed out of her mind, however, and pulled a chair towards her.

 _This book was going to help her_ she thought to herself.

And so she began to read.

* * *

A sudden noise from the outside pulled Eaenna from her concentration. The room lit up as the door opened, and in walked Thylfrae. Thylfrae - with a massive smile on her face.

Eaenna was slightly shocked to see this at the least, especially after what had happened earlier, but she could deny that she was relieved to see her best friend happy again.

"Do you want something to eat, or drink perhaps?" Eaenna asked as she suddenly began to get up from her seat.

"Oh no, I'm fine. I've already had something, thanks," Thylfrae responded in a rather cool tone.

Eaenna was quite surprised to hear this, and slightly confused. Where would she have gone to eat and drink…?

Thylfrae placed her bow and arrows on the dresser at the side of the room, and hummed a joyous tune as she made her way to her room. Eaenna could do nothing but watch in awe.

* * *

 _ **Please feel free to leave a review, favorite or follow if you enjoy the story!**_


	5. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five**

Thylfrae had been staring at the empty bowl in front of her long enough for Eaenna to shoot her a questioning look. The wooden spoon lay beside the younger elf's hand, and Thylfrae seemed oblivious to the fact that it had fallen out of her grasp.

"That bowl isn't gonna wash itself, no matter how long you look at it, Thyl," Eaenna commented.

Woken from her daydream, Thylfrae looked opposite the small table to Eaenna, who looked like she was intending to sit down with her. Her friend raised a long eyebrow at her, and Thylfrae let out a soft laugh.

"Sorry, falore," she replied, rubbing her palms against her closed eyelids. "Too much on my mind at the moment."

Eaenna didn't question any further. She took a seat opposite her friend and began to eat her food.

The silence continued, until Thylfrae let out a soft snort from her nose and smiled a bit. Eaenna once again quirked an aqua-blue eyebrow at her odd friend. Thylfrae looked at Eaenna, and her smile seemed to grow when she saw the inquisitive look she was giving her.

Eaenna smiled a bit too when she noticed how Thylfrae began to snort and laugh a bit more.

"Do you want to say something?" Eaenna finally asked.

Thylfrae shook her head, biting her lip to keep the laughter from continuing. She looked at Eaenna once more, still seeing her look at her questioningly. Thylfrae looked away, and instead made her way towards the kitchen to wash her dishes. Eaenna followed her.

"Tell me."

Thylfrae looked behind her to find Eaenna standing there with her arms crossed.

"Tell you what?"

"Tell me what happened yesterday. How you left like you did but came back… so different. Happier, like, unusually so. I'm not complaining but…" Eaenna trailed off as she watched Thylfrae begin to clean her bowl. "Thylfrae!"

"What?" asked Thylfrae, alarmed by the sudden rise in Eaenna's voice.

"What are you not telling me?"

Thylfrae let out a sigh, a much heavier one than the one before. She didn't say anything while she washed her bowl, but once she was done she glanced over at Eaenna, whose face was no longer curious but now quite stern.

"Fine, but it's a long story."

Eaenna smiled triumphantly as she followed Thylfrae to her room.

The room was quite small, like most of the rooms in their humble home. It was also quite messy, mirroring Thylfrae's personality. A single bed stood to one side of the room, purple sheets sloppily covering the wooden structure. Efedris stood on a stand in one corner of the room, grooming his right underwing. He raised his head at the sudden noise of the two night elves entering the room, and let out a squawk as Thylfrae approached him. She rubbed his head with her thumb, earning a happy sound from the bird. She then turned back to Eaenna, who had sat down on the bed after tidying it up slightly.

A lone stool sat opposite the bed, and after removing a few books that had been stacked on top of it, Thylfrae also sat down.

"Okay, so you know what happened after Madraes left, where I usually go…?"

Eaenna nodded in understanding, and waited for Thylfrae to continue. Whenever Thylfrae needed to release her stress of anger, she would go hunting. She sometimes took Efedris with her, but sometimes not. He was not a hunter's pet, but more of a companion, so bringing him along with her depended on whether she needed the company or not.

She would go hunting at first, but after releasing all the built up emotions, Thylfrae would go to her usual spot, the Pools of Arlithrien, to reflect and think. It was a hostile area, but under the tree right in the middle of the pools no hostility could reach her. It was considered quite dangerous to most night elves, meaning she could be left in peace usually.

"Well, it was just that at first. I was there, alone," Thylfrae began, but then paused. "Or so I thought."

Eaenna furrowed her brows, anticipating creeping over her.

"You know the moonwell, the abandoned one that no one ventures to any longer?"

"Yes," Eaenna responded, now curious as what this had to do with the story.

"Well, you can imagine my surprise when I hear noises coming from there. I was sitting like I do, under the tree, until my ears pick up a sound - footsteps. I got up to see what it was, and I was certainly surprised when I saw a fellow kaldorei."

At this, Eaenna was taken aback. For what reason would a night elf have to visit the old moonwell?

"Do you think they were there doing a chore for Corithras?" questioned Eaenna.

She remembered when they had first moved to Darnassus, and had done some errands for Corithras Moonrage, usually consisting of filling up vials from the local moonwells in Teldrassil.

"That's what I thought at first, surely. But then I recalled that he had already sent for one recently, and that it would've been rather odd that another would come again so soon. So, curiosity got the better of me. I was careful to approach the elf, keeping to the shadows. I'd rather not approach them up front, and I kept my bow in my hand, ready in case the ywas foe, not friend. But when I got close enough to see them clearly…" Thylfrae paused for a bit, recalling the moment. "He was tall, I'd say around 7'4"."

Eaenna raised an eyebrow at this statement.

"Green hair, quite like mine. Although I would say it was a bit longer. Clean face. He had a beard, chin curtains. But his eyes - I'd recognise those eyes anywhere. Amber."

"A druid?" Eaenna asked, rather surprised.

"Yes. But not just any druid," Thylfrae commented with a secret smile, "his name is Errenthiel Dawnshade."

"Wait - you knew him?"

"Knew him?" Thylfrae let out a little chuckle. "He's basically family to me."

Confused, Eaenna studied Thylfrae's sentimental expression. She had never mentioned Errenthiel before, let alone really anyone close to her from her younger days.

"Errenthiel came from my home town, Astranaar. Back then, he was an aspiring druid, only learning and studying. We were all very close back in my hometown, but he and I were basically best friends. People would look at our hair and assume we were related, and I did kind of look up to him as if he were my older brother. I mean, he was only slightly older than me…"

"By how much?"

"70 years."

At that, Eaenna laughed a little, and Thylfrae smiled in return.

"I know, but he's a lot wiser than he looks. He was a family friend at first, and once I got old enough I would spend a lot of time with him. I remember he would try to get me involved with druidism also, but the hunting life called me more."

A sudden thought appeared in Eaenna's head, and a mischievous smile took over her face. Thylfrae noticed this, and was quick to respond.

"We- I never…" Eaenna raised an eyebrow and Thylfrae blushed a bit more. "He was just a friend! I never had any other feelings than pure platonic ones."

Eaenna laughed and shook her head.

"Don't worry Thylfrae, I'm only joking."

Thylfrae gave her a shy smile before continuing.

"The moment I saw his face I knew it was him. I was shocked of course. It had been… so long since I last saw him… I almost couldn't recognise him."

"How long?"

"I'm not sure, perhaps a century? Maybe less."

Eaenna nodded in understanding.

"He saw me, to say the least. Standing there, gaping at him. Hardly the sneaky hunter."

Eaenna laughed.

"He was quicker to react than I was. The minute his eyes wandered away from what he was doing and met mine…"

* * *

 _"Thylfrae?" Errenthiel whispered, disbelief clear on his face._

 _"Errenthiel?" Thylfrae whispered back, taking small, slow steps towards him._

 _A smile grew on Errenthiel's face as he placed the bottle and flowers he had in his hands down and immediately rushed over towards Thylfrae. She dropped her bow in response._

 _He enveloped her in a big hug, arms wrapping around her smaller torso whilst hers pulled down by her side._

 _He pulled back, smile still visible on his face._

 _"It's been too long, Thyl!" he exclaimed, his hands now resting on her shoulders as he looked her up and down. "You haven't grown an inch!"_

 _Thylfrae, regaining herself, blinked a couple of times before fully registering that Errenthiel Dawnshade was in fact standing in front of her._

 _"Errenthiel…" she whispered again._

 _"How many times have I told you? Call me Shadey."_

 _"Errenthiel, where have you been all this time? You left so long ago…"_

 _"I've been everywhere, Thyl!" Errenthiel began, pulling Thylfrae with him to sit by the moon well. "All sorts of places - the Eastern Kingdoms, Pandaria, Northrend - anywhere my studies took me, I followed! You wouldn't believe what's out there, how much more there is than this one island of Teldrassil, this one land of Kalimdor - this one planet of Azeroth!"_

 _Thylfrae was taken aback from his excited words. She still couldn't fully comprehend the entirety of it all - how truly massive and never-ending their universe was._

 _"Why did you come back then?"_

 _"Well, my studies took me back to Kalimdor, back here. And it seems that fate made it that you would come to this very same place too." His grin still stayed in tact, and his eyes seemed to shine with joy._

 _Thylfrae stood up, her legs shaking and heart thumping heavily in her chest._

 _"Well, I do live here now."_

 _"What?" Errenthiel asked with confusion as he too got up._

 _"The attacks got so bad, Astranaar just wasn't safe enough for me anymore."_

 _"You live here?" Errenthiel seemed taken aback._

 _"Yes, more specifically in Darnassus," she said as she pointed towards the stone walls of the city. "It wasn't very hard, Darnassus is very accepting of new residents. They don't ask questions, just greet you with respect. And I wasn't alone. I came with a friend."_

 _"A friend? Who?"_

 _"Eaenna Stillwater. She's not from Astranaar, but close - Auberdine. She moved to Darkshore after the upheaval that destroyed her home, and it was there I met her. We decided to move to Darnassus a year after, and we've been best friends ever since."_

 _Errenthiel smiled fondly at the kaldorei sitting opposite him. She had grown much since he had last spoke to her. She seemed wiser… older._

 _Thylfrae saw how Errenthiel was looking at her, and questioned it._

 _"What is it?"_

 _He just shook his head, still smiling. "You are different from last I saw you, Thylfrae."_

 _At that, Thylfrae crooked an eyebrow. "And what do you mean by that?"_

 _"I don't know exactly…" He trailed off. "Older or something."_

 _"Yes, Errenthiel, that is what happens as you go through life."_

 _He finally looked away, chuckling fondly to himself, head still shaking._

 _"Your attitude certainly has not changed, my dear friend."_

 _Thylfrae smiled back at him. She had missed Errenthiel over the years. He was one of the few people in her life who had shown her true kindness and trust._

 _"And nor does it plan to," Thylfrae responded with a smirk. Errenthiel laughed a bit, before picking up his things from the ground._

 _"Come, I have a room at the Dolanaar inn where I'm staying. Would you care to join me for some moonberry juice?"_

 _"Gladly," replied Thylfrae, before following him eastwards._

* * *

"After that we just ended up talking a bit more. We spoke about druidism, my hunting… we even spoke about you a little bit."

"You spoke about me?"

"Yes, in fact he was quite interested in you. He really wanted to meet you, but at that point it was too late. I had to go home."

"He wanted to meet me? What...why would he want to meet me? What kind of amazing lies did you tell him about me to get him interested?" Eaenna asked sarcastically, although her cheeks flushed slightly.

"No lies. I told him everything about you - well most things. I didn't want to leave you with nothing to talk about."

"Wait, what exactly did you tell him about me?"

"Well, I told him a bit about where you were from, what you looked like…" she shuffled a bit in her seat, "...about you being a mage."

Eaenna looked shocked. "You told him about me being a mage?"

Thylfrae suddenly stiffened in defense. "Nothing too bad! Just the basics…"

Eaenna breathed out a sigh, patting the bed covers a bit before getting up.

"Where are you going?" Thylfrae asked, jolting up from her stool.

"What do you mean?"

"Don't you want to meet him?"

"Now?"

"Yes now. He said we could come over today even."

Eaenna thought for a moment.

"Very well then."

A look of pure joy spread across Thylfrae's face, and Eaenna couldn't help but smile back. She had never met a friend of Thylfrae's past. She knew there were only very few, but they held an undeniable importance in Thylfrae's life. She was respectful of that, and of her friend.

Thylfrae followed Eaenna out the room.

"I just know you'll love him, Eaenna."

* * *

 _ **AN: Hello! Sorry for the late update. A lot of things have been happening so it's taken a little while to update the story. I'm also sorry that it's a bit shorter than how my chapters usually are, but there was an issue of either writing too much or just leaving it at that, so I had to choose the latter option.**_

 ** _I got my first review and follow from the time between this chapter and the last being published, which is great! Thank you!_**

 ** _I've taken on board this review, and I'm glad to say that I've finally set up a schedule so that I will at least roll out a chapter once a month._**

 ** _Once again, thank you!_**

 _ **Please feel free to leave a review, favorite or follow if you enjoy the story!**_


	6. Author's Note

_**AN: Hello! Okay, so I realise that I may not have stayed true to my previous Author's Note (so sorry!), but I do have some good news!**_

 _ **Basically, the main reason I have been incapable of staying true is because of exams. Haha, I wonder how many times authors have used**_ **that** ** _excuse, but I'm afraid it's the truth. For the last month or so I have been revising for my exams and GCSEs, and it is unfortunate of me to say that such things do take precedence over others._**

 ** _Anyway, now to the good news - I only have two more days of exams, and then I'll be free for the rest of summer, meaning more TSotK (I'm hoping this is good news to you)!_**

 ** _So, thank you for being so patient, and I plan to continue writing more soon!_**


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six**

The walk to Dolanaar was a rather short one; the two night elves had the virtue of moving swiftly, even over long periods of time. Their feet did not feel much pain, nor did any of their body in fact. It was the perfect trait for hunting, in Thylfrae's opinion.

As the buildings of Dolanaar came into sight, she turned to her best friend.

"How do you feel?"

Eaenna met her look and smiled at the childish grin Thylfrae was wearing. It sparkled almost as much as the bright glow of her eyes.

"I'm not quite sure. I'm sure it'll be interesting to meet the elf who's asked quite a bit about me," Eaenna told her. "And also someone who had such a positive influence on your past."

The entrance to the inn approached, boring and standard looking to any typical night elf, but glorious to anyone else. It's tall, wooden arches and bending staircases came together to form a grand entryway, in which many merry looking elves were conversing under.

A purple-headed elf greeted them with a smile as they moved past.

"Evening, Meri," replied Thylfrae. Eaenna smiled and nodded back instead.

The pleasant greeting enlightened Eaenna, the smile not leaving her face and until her eyes fell on a stern-looking elf. She seemed to glare at the duo, in a subtle yet hateful way.

"Syral Bladeleaf," muttered Thylfrae. "I can't believe she's still pissed at us after that little incident we had with Zenn Foulhoof a couple of weeks ago. Unbelievable that even though we made it up to her she still seems to hold a grudge against us."

She raised her hand and waved enthusiastically, and a little too sarcastically, at the staring night elf, who only scoffed and turned away. Thylfrae shrugged, faking a hurt look to Eaenna, who only laughed at her friend.

Eaenna followed Thylfrae through the rest of the Teldrassil civilians, and into the inn where an older, male Kaldorei stood, one hand fingering a book case whilst the other held a lit lantern. His long eyebrows were furrowed in focus.

"Keldamyr, _Elune-Adore_ ," greeted Thylfrae, and the elf looked away from the books. His features softened and a dashing smile appeared on his face.

" _Ishnu-alah_ , Thylfrae! Good to see you," his voice boomed, before placing his lantern down on a nearby counter. He calmly walked towards them.

"You as well," she smiled. "Is Errenthiel here?"

"Not at the moment, I'm afraid. He usually leaves before most in the day, and doesn't return until late. Can I leave him a message from you?"

"No, that's okay, thank you. We actually were intending to meet with him - do you know where he might have gone?"

Keldamyr pondered for a moment. "You might want to consider checking with Malorne and Cyndra. They usually seem to be accompanying him. You know where they are. And if he's not with them try Kal. They'll probably be discussing Druidism techniques and such."

"Ah, yes, thank you very much, Keldamyr. Have a good day."

"You too, Thylfrae, and you, Eaenna. _Ande'thoras-ethil_."

They continued their way through the inn, making their way to the opposite entrance.

"He _is_ expecting us, isn't he?" inquired Eaenna.

"Well, he did ask for us to come today. I only realise now we never clarified a time, so that is perhaps partially my fault. But don't fret, we'll find him. He'll be glad you came with me, this time."

"Why do you say that?"

Thylfrae shrugged. "I got the impression from our talk that he was excited to meet you. I mean, considering I spoke quite positively of you and he and I are as close as siblings I would be surprised if he wasn't."

They approached a single, separate building, with a moonwell next to it. A collection of herbs and plants were growing from a smaller pool attached to the house. Eaenna never failed to be filled with envy, as well as with awe, at the sight before her.

"Thylfrae!" An elegant voice called through the house's entrance, and soon a tall, beautiful night elf came into view.

"Cyndra!" smiled Thylfrae, pleased to see her friend.

"And Eaenna, how nice it is to see the two of you!" exclaimed the fellow Kaldorei, beaming as she greeted them both.

"How can I help the two of you today?" she asked, before facing Eaenna. "I'm afraid Malorne isn't here right now to aid you in Herbalism."

"As a matter of fact, that's not why we're here - we're actually looking for Errenthiel. Have you seen him about?"

"Oh yes, actually, he was here not too long ago. I'm sure he left to visit Lake Al'Ameth, Denalan needed assistance in something or other."

"Ah, of course," nodded Thylfrae. "Well, thank you for your help, Cyndra."

"It was my pleasure," she smiled back.

"May the stars guide you!"

"Farewell, Cyndra!"

They ventured further down, past the graveyard, and stood before the shore of Lake Al'Ameth. Thylfrae recalled the last time they crossed these shores, having it happen only a few days ago.

"I'm sure those duskstalkers have made themselves scarce by now," commented Thylfrae.

Eaenna nodded, but looked onwards.

"Duskstalkers are the least of our problems right now. Look at all the timberlings."

Thylfrae indeed looked around, and saw the greeny-orange masses of vines and plants stumbling along the plains.

"Hostile creatures… how did we not come across them last time?"

Eaenna shrugged. "They weren't out and about here last time."

"Well, it's just our luck they're here now." Thylfrae grabbed her bow from her back. "We'll have to keep clear to the mountainside, there seems to be fewer of them."

Thylfrae contemplated their strategy plan, only after realising how quiet Eaenna was being.

"You okay, Eaenny?"

"It's just… last time, we were lucky we weren't injured," she began. "What if-"

"Eaenna, it's gonna be okay. We were startled last time, we didn't have a moment to prepare. The duskstalkers came out of nowhere. But at least now, we know exactly what we're up against. We just have to stay as close to the mountain as possible. And don't forget - I'll be with you the entire time."

Eaenna's shoulders relaxed a little bit. She always felt safer when Thylfrae was around. Not because Thylfrae was more advanced in her abilities as she was, but because she knew exactly what to say to calm her down or take away her worries. It was what made their friendship so easy to begin with, as they never had difficulties talking to each other.

Thylfrae set a comforting hand on Eaenna's shoulder, and with a determined nod from her friend in return, they set off along the mountainside.

Eaenna kept behind her friend, allowing her to lead the way. She kept in mind her most 'well known' spells, ones that she shouldn't struggle too much with if the time arose.

 _Thwing!_

The unexpected sound of Thylfrae's arrow leaving the string made Eaenna jump. The timberling groaned as it hit the floor, it's botanical mass blending in with the grass ground.

"Don't bother collecting anything from them," Thylfrae whispered behind her. "They only ever leave inert elemental scintillas."

"Actually, they also drop seed-"

"I mean, if you want to risk it go ahead, but it's quite rare considering last time we came across them was doing that errand for Denelan," Thylfrae hissed back.

Eaenna huffed a bit through her nose before continuing after her.

 _Woosh! Thwish!_

Two more arrows were released from the bow. Eaenna began to relax a bit more, now sure that with Thylfrae by her side she didn't have a need to be so tense.

"We're nearly there, Eaenny! Just a little bit mor-"

A sudden low growl came from behind the duo. Eaenna turned around to meet two titian coloured, glowing eyes staring into her own.

Only a few metres away, the mess of dijon vines and amber leaves starting careening towards them, sharp claws waving in the air. After hesitating for a brief moment, Eaenna immediately started muttering words, and soon a dim blue light began glowing in her hands. She desperately kept walking backwards in an attempt to keep away from the elemental beast, but no longer feeling Thylfrae's body near her she turned around, stumbled, and fell to the ground. The sudden fall cut off her casting and she soon saw the timberling reeling towards her. Behind her she heard the _whooshing_ of Thylfrae's arrows, indicating she was also in the middle of a battle.

Immediately she tried standing, but the hem of her robes brought her to the ground again. Finding no other resolution, she began casting a different spell, hoping it would work from her current position. The timberling was but a yard away, and was advancing upon her, sharp claws pulled back ready to swing and attack. Eaenna finally released her spell, and a shot of blue hit the timberling. However, this only slowed the creature, seeming to have had no obvious damaging effect.

Cursing, she shuffled back, before suddenly-

A column of white light descended on the timberling, and with a loud groan it fell to the ground, still.

Eaenna stayed on the ground, making sure the creature was truly dead. The tangle of plants lay still on the ground, once lit eyes now dimmed.

Sighing, she stood up, shaking as she dusted herself off. She looked behind her to check if any dirt had gotten on her behind, and huffed as she wiped it off. Suddenly, from the corner of her eye she saw a figure stand before her and she paused. A flash of green almost made her think it was Thylfrae, but slowly turning her head she saw that it was in fact not her friend but instead someone else.

A male night elf stood in front of her. He was wearing mixed purple robes, fastened with an even darker purple belt. Looking up, she realised how much taller he was than her, perhaps by around 5 inches. His hair was in fact as green as Thylfrae's, which didn't surprise her why she thought he was her at first.

"So, you must be Eaenna," he said with a grin. His voice was soft, not as growly as some of the other Kaldorei she had encountered.

"Yes, I.. I am. I'm guessing you are Errenthiel?"

"Please, call me Shadey. I am honoured to be in the presence of Thylfrae's closest friend."

"What? Oh, um, thank you, I guess." She was blushing by now, unsure of whether it was because of the complement or from how polite he was being.

"My pleasure."

From behind came the noise of footsteps along grass, indicating Thylfrae had finished her battle with the timberlings.

"Ah! I'm glad to see the two of you have finally met!"

Eaenna smiled awkwardly in response, but Errenthiel beamed at her.

"Thylfrae! So nice to see you again!" He patted her on the head.

"Hey!" snapped Thylfrae, slapping his hand away.

Errenthiel let out a hearty laugh. "And what were you two doing hunting timberlings?"

"We weren't," explained Thylfrae. "We were out here looking for you, actually. What were you doing all the way at Lake Al'Ameth? You said you would meet us at the inn today."

"I know, I know. I hadn't forgotten. Denelan needed help and I didn't realise it would take so long. I honestly believed I would've been done by now, and back at the inn. Forgive me. There wasn't too much damage, was there?"

Thylfrae, stretching out her arms, examined them for any injury. There were plenty of scratches here and there which certainly looked as if they stung, but she seemed unbothered and simply shrugged.

"I'll be alright," she said.

Eaenna looked at her friend. It wasn't uncommon for her to hide pain, even from Eaenna. The shorter elf seemed to want to prove not only to others, but to herself, that she was capable of withstanding even the hardest tasks, to prove her worth.

She stared at the sharp gashes across her friend's skin with empathy. Suddenly, her eyes widened, and she gasped at the sight before her.

A bright, green glow had began wrapping itself around Thylfrae's arms, mimicking the cuts and bruises with fainter, emerald-coloured lines, which came together to form an almost leaf-like sort of pattern. With the same swiftness as it had appeared, it was soon gone from Eaenna's sight, and she watched in awe as she saw that Thylfrae's arms were back to normal again.

Thylfrae, examining them once more, smiled a sheeply smile at Errenthiel.

"Thanks," she told him. "You didn't need to do that, though. It's just wasting your mana."

"The loss of my mana means nothing compared to your wellbeing, Thylfrae."

Thylfrae let out a hearty chuckle before patting Errenthiel on the arm.

"Back to the inn, then?" she asked, receiving a nod from her two friends.

Suddenly, from the sky came a swoop of white, and the more visible shape of a bird came into view as it descended upon them, flying to a stop near Errenthiel.

"Ah, Celeste! How lovely of you to join us!"

The small bird was but the slightest bit larger than Errenthiel's head, but still, smaller in comparison to Efedris. Her white feathers seemed to glow in the dim forest, and her golden beak appeared to be holding a, perhaps now dead, worm. Her matching golden claws latched onto the shoulders of her master.

"Oh, Celeste, how I've missed you!" Thylfrae reached up to stroke the bird's elegant feathers. She leaned into the touch, and Eaenna recognised the familiar look on the bird's face, for Efedris often looked at her in the same way.

They began the trail towards the inn, Eaenna rather quietly responding to any question Errenthiel had to ask her. Thylfrae would often try to break any silences, and would frown at Eaenna when she answered a question rather quickly and shortly.

"So Thylfrae, what is it with you two and the headbands? Are you part of some group or something?" Errenthiel asked.

Thylfrae chuckled. "No, they're just a thing Eaenna and I have, am I right?" she asked, indicating for her friend to continue.

"Yeah… it's a long story…" Eaenna answered quietly.

Again, Thylfrae frowned. Errenthiel looked at Eaenna carefully, before responding cheerfully, "Perhaps next time."

They climbed the hill into safer territory, and became closer to the back of the inn. Thylfrae continued her pleasant conversations with Errenthiel, whilst Eaenna observed the scenery around her. Usually when they came to Dolanaar, it was for the odd job or meet up. She never truly noticed the vast colours of the trees, or the various wisps zooming amongst them…

"Eaenna?"

The calm voice seemed to call her out of her observations, and she looked up to see Errenthiel's warm yet concerned face observing _her_.

"Are you sure you are alright? You weren't injured, were you?" His eyes flashed down to the hem of her robe, where there was a large rip from when she had fallen.

"No, no. Probably just some light bruising. Nothing to worry about."

By now they had entered the inn, and after greeting everyone again, Errenthiel guided them upstairs.

Eaenna was surprised to see just three beds spread out against the wall, with only a cabinet opposing it. It was only now did she realise she had never completely explored the entirety of the inn before.

"This is it?" Thylfrae asked, seeming quite disappointed.

"Don't you guys live around here? Surely you expected to see this." Errenthiel laughed at the two elves' somewhat shocked and disappointed faces.

"Well, yeah. I mean, we live in Darnassus, but we do visit Dolanaar often. We just never fully explored the inn before…"

Errenthiel walked over to the bed on the right, which Eaenna assumed was his. He sat down, and looked over at the duo, implying they should join him, or rather move away from the room entrance.

Thylfrae decided to join him, but Eaenna hesitated, deciding it was more comfortable to stay by the cabinet.

"Seriously, no offense to Keldamyr, but you would be better off staying at the inn in Darnassus. At least then you'd have some privacy."

Errenthiel merely shrugged.

"What can I say? It's cheap. It provides all the basic necessities I need. It even has a library, which is a rather exquisite one, in Keldamyr's defence."

"But the beds… they're so tightly squashed together. In such a tiny room, as well." Thylfrae gaped in horror at them. "It's like sleeping in one, big bed with two strangers on either side of you."

"You'll hear no complaint from me in that department." A feminine voice came from behind Eaenna.

"Ah, Eluna. I see you've returned," Errenthiel said to the voice, his real smile faltering for a bit. It returned shortly after, slightly broader and perhaps even a little bit…

"Thylfrae? What are you doing here? You remember me, don't you?" the voice called Eluna asked, and Eaenna turned to see a female night elf leaning on the ramp bannister.

She was fairly tall, yet only shorter than Eaenna by just an inch or so. Her skin was a pale mulberry, and her long, navy blue hair seemed to shine from the moonlight outside. Her figure seemed to stand out in her tight-fitting, dark purple dress. _Perhaps too tight,_ thought Eaenna as she averted her eyes to the elf's face. It was smooth, her blue locks caressing her soft yet perfectly toned features. What stood out most, was her facial markings - two single vertical red strokes, one for each eye, the markings of the Serpent. The more Eaenna looked…

A gasp escaped her when she noticed how familiar that face was. It was the same smirk. The same proud and boasting stance. It made Eaenna's stomach twist with loathing.

"Eluna! You're Madraes' twin sister, aren't you? Ah, yes, it's coming back to me now. How could I forget?" Thylfrae's response was forced through a stiff-looking smile.

* * *

 _ **Please feel free to leave a review, favorite or follow if you enjoy the story!**_


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven**

Eaenna watched uncomfortably from the edge of the room as Eluna, elegant she was, moved, almost as if she floated towards Errenthiel, placing herself next to him on the bed, earning a disgusted look from Thylfrae who was opposite them.

There was no denying she was beautiful. Everyone could see it. Some would even go as far as to say she was flawless, but as all three of them knew, not everything is what it appears to be on the outside. She was stubbornly alike her brother in so many ways. If there was someone in Azeroth with a bigger ego than Madraes, it was his twin sister Eluna. It made Eaenna's knuckles itch with anger, and from the corner of her eye she could see that Thylfrae's feelings were mutual with hers, despite her previous efforts to remain civil.

"Where have you been?" began Eluna, a sweet ring to her tone. "I've been looking for you everywhere, Errenthiel."

"Did you need something?" His response was blunt, yet his voice surprisingly even. Although, he noticeably inched further from her on the edge of the bed. Eaenna's lips twitched at the corners at the sight.

"Nothing too urgent. To be perfectly honest, I thought you would be alone." Her eyes flickered towards the other side of the room, where Eaenna stood. A scoff was heard from Thylfrae's direction.

"Surely there is nothing too intimate you could say to me in front of my friends."

"Perhaps," continued Eluna. "But I wouldn't wish to bore them." She rose from the bed unexpectedly, with as much grace and delicacy as when she sat down. It was hard not to be in awe of the woman.

"I shall meet with you again some time, Errenthiel. You seem to be occupied in this moment, and I wouldn't wish to intrude."

Just as she was about to exit the room, she turned, quite too dramatically for Thylfrae's opinion, to look back at all three of them.

"And, Elune be with you all."

There was an awkward period of silence then. All three of them knew the real reason she said this. The reason she always said this. Not as a kind way of saying farewell, as one might think. They knew it was a reminder of the Goddess and deity of which she was named after, and how it somehow automatically put her above anyone else.

Thylfrae simply smiled. Errenthiel wished her farewell. Eaenna did nothing.

Then she was gone.

Suddenly, a breath was seemingly released in the room, and everyone's shoulders relaxed.

"How does one person manage to get on my nerves so much?" questioned Thylfrae, staring at the empty archway with a pained and exhausted look on her face.

Errenthiel simply sighed. The look on his face told Eaenna that he had put up with it many times before, but she knew he was too good of a man to say anything bad about her. She wondered how often Eluna had pursued him, even in his short time spent in Teldrassil.

"So." His eyes lit up, suddenly, changing the subject. He looked towards Eaenna. "This training of sorts. I'm happy to teach you a few things. Druidic powers are slightly different than Mage, however-"

"Hold on a minute," interrupted Thylfrae. "I've been thinking, and Eaenna, you don't have to agree with me on this, but what if you trained in druidic abilities instead of mage?"

Eaenna's mouth fell open at the proposal, and she moved forwards towards her best friend.

"You mean, train to become a druid instead of a mage?" She paused. "Thylfrae, can that even happen?"

"It can, I think." Thylfrae's shoulders shrugged. "It's an idea. I'm not saying you should just give up on being a mage, but if you gave this a go you might find it's actually easier. Errenthiel is the best druid I've ever been acquainted with. I know and I trust that he'll be able to at least get you started on that path."

Eaenna stared between both Thylfrae and Errenthiel, her eyebrows lowered in thought.

"It's very rarely I hear about anyone changing classes, but it can be done, of that I'm sure of," added Errenthiel.

Thylfrae nodded at him. "Eaenna, you don't have to agree. I know it's a massive decision." She looked at her questioningly, but Eaenna was shaking her head.

Thylfrae, smiling in understanding, stood and reached for her friend's hand. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to pressure you into doing something you don't want to-"

"Fine."

Thylfrae blinked.

"Fine what?"

"I'll do it." Eaenna was smiling.

Thylfrae nearly jumped in surprise. A smile lit up her face as she shook her best friend, reaching up to wrap her arms around her, and laughed at the beaming expression on her face.

"Are you sure?" asked Thylfrae. "It won't be easy-"

"I don't care," said Eaenna, again shaking her head. "I can't be a mage, Thyl. I never will be. I've tried and failed too many times. There's no point in carrying on with something I know I'll never be able to pursue. I can't live a life like that."

Thylfrae was staring at her friend in awe.

"Well, I'd be glad to help you in any way that I can, Eaenna." Errenthiel had stood up as well, facing the two of them. "I haven't trained anyone before, so it should be an entirely new experience for me too."

"Thank you, Errenthiel."

He smiled at her. It was a kind smile, one that Eaenna was woefully unused to having in her life. It was rare there was someone willing to help her, excluding Thylfrae, of course.

"When do we start?" Thylfrae questioned. She was practically bouncing up and down on her toes. To Eaenna, she looked like an excited child waiting to go on her favourite ride at the faire, and she couldn't help but smirk at her friend.

Errenthiel chuckled lightly. "Patience, Thylfrae. I say we begin tomorrow, first thing. I'll prepare some equipment that I think might be useful. And Eaenna," he looked at her. "I assume you have a staff that you can practice with?"

Eaenna hesitated. She _did_ have a staff. But finding it was the question. It had been that long since it had last been used. For all she knew, it could be snapped in half somewhere in a dusty cupboard, longing to be tossed away.

"I'm sure it's somewhere."

"Excellent. I'll meet you both downstairs at dusk, in front of the Inn."

Eaenna looked to Thylfrae. "You do want to come, right?" It seemed a silly question with Thylfrae's obvious enthrallment with the whole situation.

"Of course, Eaenny. I'm with you all the way."

* * *

"It can't just have vanished!"

"Eaenna-" Thylfrae dodged another empty crate being tossed in her direction. "Eaenna, you can always buy a new one."

"No, I can't afford a new one." She riffelled through yet another box within the large wardrobe, emptying its contents onto the wooden floor. This added to the already massive pile that was gathering beside the crouched elf.

Frustrated with herself, Eaenna chucked the last empty box back into the wardrobe it had came from moments before. The sudden, large shift in the object meant its contents began to shake.

"Wait-!"

Thylfrae reached for Eaenna, but it was too late, for soon her friend was sat, frozen in position, as a tall arrangement of clothes and robes quickly fell on top of her head. The two stared at each other in silence, Thylfrae's eyes wide in shock, Eaenna's unreadable. She looked very odd, her arms outstretched to either side, covered in a disarray of colour and fabric. A thick emerald-coloured ribbon was resting over her face, revealing only half of the elf's expression.

Thylfrae's lips moved outward, a helpless smile creeping across her face. Eaenna let out a low whimper amidst the silence, but soon she too was laughing. Thylfrae reached for her hand.

"Well done," she joked as Eaenna stood from the mess, huffing as the objects fell from her.

"I suppose I _could_ just buy one," mumbled Eaenna.

Thylfrae patted her friend's shoulder. Just then, a knock sounded through their house.

"You go, I need to clean this up," sighed Eaenna.

Thylfrae, nodding in understanding, left to answer the door.

"Thanks, Thyl," added Eaenna.

When she opened the front door, Thylfrae was greeted with the beaming face of Jareth, who was leaning against the frame.

"Thylfrae Shadowstalker, _elune-adore._ How are you?"

"Hello, Jareth," she responded, smiling at her friend. She gestured for him to step inside.

"Thank you," he nodded.

"Still no Faldron? Will we ever meet this mysterious man?"

"Ah, yes, about that." Jareth rubbed the back of his neck. "We aren't going out anymore."

"Oh, that's-"

"What?!" Eaenna had entered the room, obviously forgetting the terrifying mess she had left in her wake.

"Eaenna, it's good to see you too," chuckled Jareth.

"What do you mean you're not going out anymore?" She moved closer to him, mouth gaping in exasperation.

"Well, it just wasn't working." He simply shrugged. "What can I say, there's plenty of fish in the sea. This fish just wasn't for me."

"I'm sorry, Jareth." She put a comforting hand on his arm, and he smiled down at her.

"Anyone want drinks?" questioned Thylfrae, breaking the solemn atmosphere.

"Not for me, Thylfrae, but thank you. In fact, I really only came to ask a favour."

"Of course, what is it?" she asked him. Jareth often required help from the two elves, but they didn't mind. They were friends, and in any time of need, he would help them in return.

"You see, I've acquired an assistant, to help with my recent work. They should be arriving to Darnassus some time tomorrow."

"Oh yes, actually, I remember you telling me about that," added Eaenna.

"We originally planned for her to arrive a few days ago, but she had a complication that couldn't be helped. The only thing is I'll be out most of the day tomorrow, with my work, and I don't have anyone to guide her from the docks. She's never been to Darnassus before, see." Jareth tilted his head in question. "I was wondering if either of you two would be up to the task of meeting her?"

"Jareth, we'd love to-" Eaenna cut herself off, realization dawning on her face. "Ah, wait, we can't. Not tomorrow. We have plans, actually."

" _You_ have plans, Eaenny." Thylfrae nudged her friend. "I'm not required to go, and Jareth obviously needs help."

Eaenna sighed. "If you're sure, Thyl." However, the thought of spending an entire day with Errenthiel alone sounded like an experience that stirred a lot of anxiety within Eaenna. She wished it didn't.

"What's the big plans for tomorrow?" questioned Jareth, an eyebrow crooked.

"I've got training."

"Training?" repeated Jareth, his smile glowing. "How exciting!"

"Not just any training, Jareth," added Thylfrae. "Eaenna's gonna be a druid."

"A _druid?"_ exclaimed Jareth, clasping his hands together. "Now I'm very curious. Is that even possible? I thought it was impossible to change classes."

"It's not impossible, just difficult. But Eaenna can do it. And she's got the best teacher."

Jareth's eyebrows raised in question, pleading Thylfrae to continue.

"His name is Errenthiel. He's a good friend of mine, I'd practically trust him with my life. And he's the best Druid I've ever known. I'm positive he'll be able to teach Eaenna."

"Well I have complete faith," smiled Jareth.

"Thanks, Jareth." Eaenna smirked. "I'll need it."

"What time should you need me tomorrow, then, Jareth?" asked Thylfrae.

"The boat gets in around midnight. Any time around then should do. And thanks again, Thylfrae, it's really helping a lot."

"Not a problem."

* * *

Eaenna's movements were careful and slow as she made her way back again towards the Dolanaar Inn. Without Thylfrae by her side this time, she was painstakingly wary of her surroundings. Another fight with the timberlings, alone, could leave fatal results. She made sure to stick to the path in front of her.

A sigh of relief fell from Eaenna's lips as the familiar buildings came into sight. As she approached the entrance to the Inn once again, a sinking feeling appeared within her stomach when her eyes did not rest upon the face of Errenthiel Dawnshade but instead that of Eluna Starmane.

She appeared to be waiting for someone, just as she was. She wondered if they were searching for the same person.

"Eaenna, you're back." While the sentence would often be portrayed nicely, Eluna's portrayal certainly was not. "Alone, I see."

"Yes, I am. It's good to see you, Eluna." Eaenna knew her answer was blunt. She quickly made her way inside the Inn, feeling Eluna's gaze still resting on her back.

She waited by the front desk. She was early, after all. It had only been dusk for a few hours.

"I don't believe I properly introduced myself. After all, our first meeting was in a bedroom," Eluna's voice emerged, getting closer with each step she took to Eaenna. She was smiling, Eaenna realised as she turned to her in slight surprise, a smile that someone would mistake for genuine if it weren't for the discrete coldness in her silver eyes.

Eaenna laughed slightly, although quite intimidated by Eluna's posture and manner, regardless of the fact that she was an inch shorter than her.

"Of course. My name's Eaenna. I've heard much about you from Thylfrae."

"No doubt. She and my brother were such a great couple. Such a shame she ended it. But of course, all good things must come to an end."

Eaenna's eyes narrowed slightly upon hearing this, but decided not to dwell too much on what Eluna had to say.

"So where is Thylfrae? Is she not here with you today? I would so love to catch up with her. I do believe it's been years since I last saw her."

"I'm afraid she's busy with other business."

"Ah," Eluna commented, before turning her head slightly at Eaenna. "And what about you?"

"Me? Oh, I'm here for my training. With Errenthiel."

Eaenna could've sworn she saw Eluna's eyebrow twitch for a second, before her face returned to a smile.

"Training? In what, alchemy or herbalism?"

"Oh no, Errenthiel is teaching me to become a druid."

"A druid? Are you su-"

"Eaenna! You're here!"

Both elves turned to the source of the voice, and both smiled at seeing Errenthiel enter the room. Noticing his eyes seemed to be mainly on her, Eaenna blushed slightly.

"Errenthiel! Just the kaldorei I was looking for," Eluna's voice piped up, and she strolled over to him carefully.

"Really Eluna? Earlier you said you were going to see your brother."

"And I was. But I forgot to ask you something before I left, regarding my recent alchemy concoction. Would you be free later to help me out?" Eluna's hand lightly touched Errenthiel's arm as she smiled innocently, and Eaenna had to refrain herself from rolling her eyes.

"Oh, well, it depends on how long my training with Eaenna takes," Errenthiel replied, moving the arm she touched so as to scratch his head.

"Surely it won't take all night? I'll be back after midnight, perhaps then?"

"I mean, this _could_ take all night, it's all up to Eaenna," Errenthiel commented, before looking at Eaenna to see what she had to say. Eluna mimicked him, a smile still on her face, although now becoming more fake my the minute.

"I… I'm sure we won't take up all night. I'll probably be making my way home some time in the dawn," Eaenna stuttered, trying to avoid inducing a conflict with Eluna.

"If you're sure," Errenthiel smiled at her, and then turned to Eluna. "Is that good for you?"

Eluna seemed to think for a second, before smiling with a quick "yes" and walking away, her long hair bouncing as she moved.

The two looked after as she left, before Errenthiel turned to Eaenna sighing.

"Shall we?"

Eaenna laughed, and then nodded.

Errenthiel made his way to the front of the inn, and began making his way eastwards.

"Wait a second, where are we going?" Eaenna asked, quietly from uncertainty, but loud enough that he would hear her.

"Shadowglen. It's the perfect spot for training - usually quiet, very few dangerous creatures. You'll have the opportunity to practice the basics without having to worry about your life," Errenthiel responded, with a slight chuckle at the end.

Eaenna couldn't help but laugh along.

* * *

"How long have we been on this ship for?"

"What, did you expect the trip from one continent to another to be quick? I mean, we're literally sailing across the world."

"I know. I just can't wait to be off this damn boat."

Melfaria sighed at her impatient friend, taking a sip from her drink.

"Honestly, I don't understand how you don't get seasick, standing there, drinking and all," groaned Cressa as she returned from the side of the ship, wiping her mouth from any excess vomit.

Melfaria laughed at her friend, taking another swig from her mug, earning a bitter glance from Cressa.

"Oh, come on Cress. I've been on ships before. I've just the luck of experience," she responded with a chuckle, before patting her friend on the back.

The ship bobbed violently, and Melfaria saw Cressa's face turn extremely pale extremely quickly.

"Oh boy," she heaved, and clumsily made her way to the edge of the boat again.

Melfaria watched in fascination as the human waltzed across the floorboards, which creaked with every heavy step she took. Her eyes widened as Cressa, wobbling again as the ship was hit with yet another sharp wave, was knocked backwards and into a draenei.

Cressa was in a fit of apologies, whilst Melfaria tried to do all she could from bursting into laughter.

She quickly ran to her embarrassed friend, and helped her up.

"I'm so sorry about my friend, the sea doesn't agree with her," smiled Melfaria at the somewhat bewildered but amused draenei.

Cressa grunted as she stood up, and Melfaria nearly dropped her from laughter.

"It's okay, honestly," the draenei chuckled in her thick accent.

"I would shake your hand, but I'm afraid both are preoccupied right now," Melfaria grinned, nodding her head at Cressa, who was still trying to compose herself.

"It's quite alright. I'm Jolti, and you?"

"I'm Melfaria Silvercrest. This mess right here is my friend, Cressa Ladd. Pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"As it is mine. I wonder, what was a night elf such as yourself doing away from Teldrassil?" Jolti asked Melfaria, as they made their way over to a table nearby.

"The real question is what am I doing on my way there?" Melfaria corrected, and smirked a bit when she saw Jolti look slightly puzzled. "My home is in Stormwind, I was raised there. Don't quite know where I was born."

"Interesting. Very well then, why are you on your way to Teldrassil then?"

"Not quite sure. My friend and I were up for an adventure, so here we are. Although I'm starting to reconsider if Cressa is really adventure material."

"I am much more adventurous than you, Mel, thank you very much. It's the _ship_ that's the problem, not me," Cressa responded, much less flustered and sick now that she was sitting down and the waves had calmed.

"Whatever you say, Cress," Melfaria muttered, who was returned with a growl. "What about you Jolti? A draenei coming from Stormwind?"

"I travel a lot. I'm actually here to meet a friend, he was in need of assistance and materials from my travels. We were actually adventure friends in the past, so I was glad to help out as he was currently unavailable to travel himself. You may have heard of him, Jareth Wildwoods?"

"It's our first time in Teldrassil. We don't know anyone, sorry," replied Melfaria.

"Understandable, sorry to assume," Jolti smiled, but her smile dropped a bit as she continued. "I actually got a message from him earlier this night, saying he's unavailable to meet me at the docks. He's gotten his friend, a _Thylfrae Shadowstalker_ to meet me instead. Should be interesting."

"I bet," responded Melfaria.

* * *

 _ **Please feel free to leave a review, favorite or follow if you enjoy the story!**_


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